To safely moor a watercraft to docks, piers, trees, or other mooring structures, it is known to provide a watercraft with a mooring rope to enable the watercraft to be secured to and maintained near a landing area such as a pier, dock, etc. For example, it is known to dock a watercraft by positioning the watercraft near the landing area and remove mooring lines from a storage compartment on the watercraft and thereafter lash the mooring line to a cleat on the watercraft and the mooring structure on the landing. However, providing a separate mooring line that is stored by the user can result in tangling and might occupy space that can be used for other items. In addition, conventional mooring lines may not easily tie to various mooring structures. For example, a tree or post might require excessive mooring line to form complicated lashings and/or knots. Requiring additional mooring line to accommodate various mooring structures further depletes available storage space on the watercraft.
In addition, smaller watercraft, such as personal watercraft, also known as “PWC”, may not include a tethering line and might have very limited, if any, storage space for items such as a bulky mooring line. In addition, many personal watercraft do not include a cleat typical of larger watercraft due to safety concerns. Indeed, a protruding cleat may cause a hazard to riders of the personal watercraft who frequently fall off the personal watercraft during use.
It is known to tether a line to the handlebars of the personal watercraft, to overcome the need for providing a separate cleat arrangement. In an attempt to avoid contact with a rider potentially falling off the personal watercraft, it is also known to provide a cleat arrangement in the front of the personal watercraft wherein tethering line is stored in a front compartment of the personal watercraft. However, due to the inherent instability of personal watercraft, it is difficult to reach over the handlebars to remove the line from the front compartment and tie the line to the cleat. The rider of the personal watercraft is often required to enter the water to appropriately tie the tethering line to the cleat at the front end of the personal watercraft to avoid falling into the water. It is also known to tie the tethering line to the front cleat prior to launching the personal watercraft into the water. However, the line must be draped over the front hood of the personal watercraft with the remainder stored in the compartment in use. Storing the line in this manner exposes a portion of the line which might be snagged by objects and can create a further hazard for riders that might become tangled in the line in use.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for additional watercraft mooring structures that conveniently store mooring line when not in use and provide enhanced mooring features. More particularly, there is a continuing need for providing a personal watercraft with an apparatus for tethering that reduces hazardous conditions to the rider while providing convenience during the mooring process.